Punctuated by hundreds of shots, a police pursuit and shootout terrorized the streets of Tijuana last weekend. When the mayhem was over, one suspected drug gang member was dead and two others were wounded and in police custody. Two Federal Police officers were also reported injured in the running clash.
The gun battle was among countless incidents that have given Tijuana the reputation as a dangerous border city, second only to Ciudad Juarez.
Viewed from afar, a socio-economic sludge of unemployment, drug addiction and violence make Tijuana appear a very bleak place to live, especially for young people growing up in the early 21st century.
But a group of Tijuana youth is organizing to change the current landscape. Founded by university and high school students, Youth United for Society was recently launched with the goal of providing positive experiences and promising futures for young people.
“We do not have any (political) party association,” said Moises Aldana Vazquez, the group’s president, at a press conference last week. “We just want to help with projects that solely bring together youth in general, not just students.”
For 2009, Youth United for Society has mapped out several issue areas to focus its energies, including crime prevention, sex education, environmental protection and literacy development. Concretely, the group plans on collaborating with Tijuana’s Trompo Museum, holding a job fair, supporting orphanages, cleaning streets and beaches, promoting condom use, and encouraging designated driving, among other activities.
Members of the new organization come from both public and private universities and high schools, including the Autonomous University of Baja California, CETYS, Univer, Ibero, ITT, Federal Lazaro Cardenas, and Xochicalco. Youth United for Society maintains a website, www.justijuana.com, that outlines the group’s mission, objectives and projects. A statement posted on the website reads:
“Considering the big problems and challenges currently facing Tijuana society, we youths see the necessity of raising our voice and convening the social union. We cannot continue with the way it is now!”
Frontera NorteSur (FNS): on-line, U.S.-Mexico border news Center for Latin American and Border Studies New Mexico State University Las Cruces, New Mexico.